Water closet ventilating means



H- WILTON WATER CLOSET VBNTILATING MEANS Filed June 8, 1964 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,332,089 WATER CLOSET VENTILATING MEANS Herb Wilton, 7800 SE. Luther, Portland, Oreg. 97286 Filed June 8, 1964, Ser. No. 373,331 1 Claim. (Cl. 4-213) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in water closet ventilating means.

A primary objective of the present invention is to provide ventilating means for a water closet which is extremely efiicient in the removal of air from said closet.

A more particular object is to provide ventilating means for a water closet including sealing means for the area between the water closet seat and the bowl whereby to limit the intake opening for suction removal of air from the closet and prevent air in the closet from rising into the room.

Another object is to provide ventilating means for a water closet which is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture.

Still another object is to provide ventilating means for a water closet which is readily applied to existing closets.

Briefly stated, the invention resides in a duct or passageway in association with a water closet bowl, The duct has inlet openings in communication with the interior of the bowl and is connected to suction fan means for withdrawing air from the bowl through said inlet openings. As an important part of the invention, sealing means are provided between the top of the bowl and the bottom surface of the seat to prevent intake of air through the area between the bowl and the seat. This construction, as will be seen hereinafter, increases the efiiciency of the ventilating means and substantially prevents any air in the bowl from rising into the room.

The invention will be better understood and additional objects will become apparent from the following specification and claim, considered together with the accompanying drawings, wherein the numerals of reference indicate like parts.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a water closet including ventilating means of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of a water closet and the present ventilating means;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing a modified form of ventilating means;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of another modified form; and

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary, sectional view of still another form.

The present invention is adapted for use with a conventional water closet construction comprising a bowl 10 having a top, flange-like rim portion 12, a seat 14 hinged to the bowl by hinge means 16, and a water supply tank 18. The seat 14 in its down position rests on the top of rim 12, and in the usual construction there is employed one or more resilient buttons, not shown, secured to the undersurface of the seat. These buttons engage the upper surface of the rim 12 and support the seat thereon wherein the lower surface of the seat is spaced from the upper surface of the rim 12.

Referring first to FIGURES 14 of the drawings, which show a first form of the invention, ventilating means thereof comprise a duct 20 which as best seen in FIG- URE l is arcuate in plan to assume substantially the shape of the bowl opening. Referring to FIGURE 2 the duct is rectangular in cross section, it being understood, however, that this duct may take various other cross sectional forms and if desired may extend fully around the opening of the water closet bowl.

With particular reference to FIGURE 2 the duct 20 is provided with an inwardly directed flange 22 for attachment of the duct to the lower surface of the seat 14, as by screws. In a preferred arrangement, the duct 20 is secured to the seat in a position such that it projects inwardly beyond the inner edge of the bowl rim 12, and this projecting portion is provided with opening means 26 leading to the interior of the duct. Such opening means may comprise a single aperture extending around the full length of the duct or it may comprise a series of spaced apertures.

A hollow stem 28, FIGURES 1, 3 and 4, in communication with the duct, projects from the latter adjacent the rear portion of the seat 14, and this stem terminates in a coupling end 30 adapted for connection to a flexible hose 32. As best seen in FIGURE 3, the stem 28 is of sufliciently reduced vertical dimension that it can be mounted between the bowl rim 12 and the seat 14.

Flexible hose 32 leads to a suction fan 34, such as a squirrel cage fan, connected to an outlet pipe 36. Outlet pipe 36 may comprise the usual water closet vent, a special outlet pipe installed for this purpose, or any other air system which may be incorporated in a building such as a vacuum system.

Secured to the undersurface of seat 14 is a sealing and supporting gasket 38. This gasket is secured to the seat by suitable means such as by screws 40, and for this purpose the gasket has a mounting flange 42. Importantly, said gasket extends around the full length of the seat to seal the area between the seat and the bowl. The gasket is constructed of a firm but resilient material, such as rubber, which, while providing a sealed function between the seat and bowl rim nevertheless provides a spacing support to prevent any weight from bearing on the duct By means of the present arrangement wherein there are employed an inwardly disposed duct and an outer sealing gasket, all of the intake for the suction system must enter through the opening of the seat, and with a person seated thereon, the intake opening will comprise a rather small opening adjacent the front of the seat. Thus, with such limited intake area an efiicient removal of air from the water closet is accomplished.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modified form of the invention wherein there is employed a duct 20a having a flange 22a adapted to seat on the bowl rim 12 instead of being connected to the seat. This duct has bottom opening means 26a. In this embodiment the duct is shaped as seen in plan such that it may be installed in the bowl merely by placing it on the rim 12. Similar to the FIGURE 1 embodiment, the structure of FIGURE 5 employs a gasket 38 extending fully around the seat. Duct 20a is provided with suitable discharge means such as an outlet stem similar to the stem 28 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 comprises a further embodiment and utilizes a duct 2015 having flanged portions 22b for securing the duct to the bottom surface of the seat 14. In this embodiment the duct 20b is constructed of a resilient material and located such that the duct itself also serves as a sealing member between the seat and the bowl rim. In the construction of FIGURE 6, the duct extends around the full length of the seat, as in the other embodiments, to accomplish a full length sealing function between the seat and the rim. The duct 20b has opening means 26b, and in this construction the duct, while being sufficiently resilient to provide a good sealing function between the seat and the bowl rim, is sufficiently rigid to support the weight of a person. FIGURE 6 illustrates in full lines the shape of the gasket when compressed by the weight of a person and in phantom lines the shape ofthe gasket in its normal or rest position. This embodiment is associated with suitable discharge means and suction fan means as in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 7 shows stillanother form of the invention wherein a water closet rim portion 12a is provided with an internal passageway 44 having inlet apertures 46 leading from the inner area of the bowl. This embodiment is also associated witha gasket 38 extending fully around the seat. Similarly, a passageway with suitable outlets may be provided in the seat itself instead of in the rim of the bowl.

The present invention in its embodiments thus provides an efficient means for the removal of air from the interior of a water closet, such efiicient operation being accomplished, as stated above, by reason of the limited intake area resulting from the use of the gasket 38. The embodiments of 1, 5, and 6 may be readily installed on existing water closets, and the embodiments of the invention which are attached to the seat, comprising the embodiments of FIGURES 1 and 6, do not eflect the'operation of the seat assaess since the stem 28 is of less height than the normal spacing between the seat and the rim and the flexible hose 32 which leads to the fan permits normal raising and lowering of the seat.

his to be understood that the forms of my invention herein shown and described are to be taken as preferred examples of the same and that various other changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the'spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claim. I

Having thus described by invention, I claim:

Ventilating structure for a water closet of the type having a bowl and a hinged seat, comprising a duct arranged to be secured to. the undersurface of said seat and arranged for engagement with the upper surface of said bowl in a down hinged position of the seat, said duct being formed of a resilient material which while being sufliciently reslient to provide a sealing gasket connection between said seat and bowl is also suificiently rigid to support the weight of a person, said duct extending substantially fully around the length or said .seat to provide full length sealing of the seat with the bowl, means insaid duct defining inlet openings directed inwardly toward the interior of the bowl, air suction means, and hose means connected be-- tween said duct and said air suction means whereby the latter is adapted to draw air from the bowl for venting the same.

7 References ,Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,072,493 3/1937 Beard 4-213 2,126,131 8/1938 Orebaugh 4-213 2,151,138 3/1939 Morris 4-213 2,171,903 9/1939 Aubin 4-213 2,988,756 6/1961 Hartley 4-213 3,069,696 12/1962 Howell 4-213 3,120,665 2/ 1964 Kirkland 4-213 3,122,757 3/1964 Sowards 4-213 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. SAMUEL ROTHBERG, H. ARTIS, Assistant Examiners. 

